Department for Transport

Cycling

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the cycle to work scheme on the number of non-cyclists taking up cycling.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the contribution of the cycle to work scheme to meeting the Government's objective to double the number of journeys made by bicycle by 2020.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Cycle to Work Scheme is an employee benefit covered by an exemption and therefore employers do not have to make an annual tax return regarding the benefit.The Cycle to Work Alliance (made up of Cyclescheme, Cycle Solutions, Evans Cycles and Halfords) have provided figures of the take up from Jan –September 2015 141,454 people participated in the scheme.A recent survey by the Alliance showed that 62% of participants in the scheme were either non-cyclists, novice cyclists (cycling less than once a month) or occasional cyclists (cycling once or twice a month) before joining the scheme. Having joined the scheme 79% of respondents described themselves as enthusiastic cyclists.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the costs and benefits of ending the paper vehicle tax disc.

Andrew Jones: The changes to the administration of vehicle excise duty are expected to save the public purse £13.8m per year. These savings are made up of the elements shown in the table below:No longer having to print or store tax discs.£1.3m paNo longer having to post tax discs to customers.£7.9m paNo longer having to process applications for vehicle excise duty refunds (which are now paid automatically without the need for an application) or handle enquiries about lost or missing tax discs.£1.2m paReduction in Post Office Ltd costs as they no longer issue paper tax discs, but offer an assisted digital service instead.£3.4m paBusiness will also save an estimated £8.6m per year from the changes. The savings arise from leasing companies no longer having to post tax discs to customers or businesses having to apply for refunds of vehicle excise duty and paying to replace lost or stolen tax discs.There are also one-off costs of £5.7m made up of the elements shown in the table below:DVLA IT and systems changes/updates,£4mFamiliarisation costs to the General Public and Business in understanding the changes£1.7m

Parking Offences

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many requests have been made to the DVLA for vehicle owner addresses in the last 12 months by private parking companies.

Andrew Jones: Requests to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for vehicle keeper data can be made electronically or manually by post.In 2015, 3,623,724 requests for vehicle keeper data from private parking companies were made electronically. A further 253,500 requests were made manually by post. The figure for manual requests includes enquiries from private parking companies and other organisations or individuals who can demonstrate reasonable cause for needing the information.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of new HGV drivers who will be required in each of the next five years.

Andrew Jones: The Department is working with other parts of Government to encourage and enable more people to become lorry drivers, including via apprenticeships and action related to Jobcentre Plus.The Department is taking steps to ensure that the increased demand for driving tests is accommodated through recruiting driving examiners and providing increased numbers of test appointments.

Home Office

Rights of Accused

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to protect legally privileged communications from surveillance.

Mr John Hayes: Holding answer received on 14 January 2016



The Covert Surveillance and Property Interference Code of Practice, which came into force on 10 December 2014 following approval by Parliament, set out the safeguards in relation to covert surveillance activity under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 which is likely or intended to result in the acquisition of knowledge of matters subject to legal privilege.There are similar safeguards in the existing Interception of Communications and Equipment Interference Codes of Practice which were approved by the House of Lords in December 2015 and the House of Commons earlier this month. The Investigatory Powers Bill and its associated codes of practice will replace the existing codes of practice for the interception of communication and equipment interference and will set out the powers available to public authorities to obtain communications and communication data and the safeguards that will apply.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Syria: Armed Conflict

David Rutley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on the situation in Syria.

Mr Philip Hammond: I have discussed Syria with Foreign Minister Lavrov at meetings of the International Syria Support Group, most recently on 18 December in New York. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), discussed Syria with President Putin at the G20 Summit in Antalya, and in a telephone conversation on 9 December following Parliament’s vote to support military action against Daesh in Syria.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Copyright: Internet

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals on increasing penalties for online copyright infringement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: A consultation was held during summer 2015 on proposals to increase the maximum custodial sentence for online copyright infringement from two to ten years, to harmonise it with the penalty available for physical infringement. The responses to that consultation have been analysed and officials at the IPO are now giving consideration to future direction and timing and will advise Ministers accordingly.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: UK Membership of EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

Anna Soubry: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the United Kingdom - so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future. We are confident that the right agreement can be reached.

Transport: Apprentices

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 3.22 of English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the planned 30,000 transport-related apprenticeships which will be taken up by apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities.

Nick Boles: Apprenticeships are full time jobs with training. We do not interfere in employers’ recruitment decisions or set specific quotas for the number of apprenticeships to be taken up by people with special educational needs or disabilities.All employers must fulfil their duties as set out in the Equality Act 2010 for apprentices as they would for other employees. We believe that the overwhelming majority of young people with special educational needs and disabilities are capable of sustainable, paid employment with the right preparation and support. For many, apprenticeships are the best route into paid employment. To support this, people aged 16 and over can apply for Access to Work funding for adjustments to the workplace. In addition, reasonable adjustments are available for any qualifications within apprenticeships to ensure the apprentice has every opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

Money Lenders

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many illegal money lenders Illegal Money Lending Units prevented from operating in 2015.

Nick Boles: According to the National Trading Standards Annual report 2014/15, the England and Wales illegal money lending teams commenced 365 operations into 756 suspected money lenders in 2014/15.In the same period 42 individuals were charged or had proceedings instituted against them for illegal money lending in England and Wales. Trading Standards Scotland referred a further 9 individuals to the Procurator Fiscal for illegal money lending in 2014/15.

Leader of the House

Leader of the House of Commons: UK Membership of EU

Tim Loughton: To ask the Leader of the House, what contingency arrangements his Office has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

Chris Grayling: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 14 January 2016, to Question UIN 21952.

Department for Education

Pupil Exclusions: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to address the disproportionate number of exclusions from school of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils.

Nick Gibb: The Government’s approach is to develop opportunities for everyone. This includes measures to improve literacy and numeracy, and the quality of teaching; targeting resource through the pupil premium to ensure every young person, regardless of birth or background, has the opportunity to realise their full potential.Inequality in relation to exclusion is a complex and longstanding issue. Many of the issues that underlie the inequalities seen in exclusion are inseparable from those that lead to other educational inequalities, including academic attainment. Removing the barriers to children engaging with education is fundamental to attendance, academic attainment, improving behaviour and reducing the need for exclusion.Through the pupil premium, schools receive additional funding to help them support their disadvantaged pupils, and have flexibility over how they use this to improve the progress and attainment of those pupils. In the current financial year, 59% of Gypsy and Roma pupils and 72% of Traveller pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, compared with 28% of all pupils.In 2012, the Government funded two local authorities (Cambridgeshire and Kent) to each appoint a Virtual Head Teacher to support schools in raising the attainment of GRT pupils, to increase awareness of the common issues faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils and to help schools to overcome them. The findings of these pilots are available at https://www.learntogether.org.uk/Resources/Documents/Cambs%20VHT%20DfE%20final%20report.doc and http://www.edukent.co.uk/images/uploads/misc_files/VHT_Kent_Final_report_GH.pdf.The Department has also produced short case studies of schools that have been successful in improving the attendance and attainment of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils. These are available at: www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/gypsy-roma-and-traveller-pupils-supporting-access-to-education.Schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 not to discriminate against pupils, including in the exclusion process. These duties are considered as part of the inspection process and complaints processes exist to consider individual complaints.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Closures

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the monthly cost is of (a) each court building which has been closed but not disposed of since May 2010 and (b) the 91 courts considered for closure in his Department's recent consultation on that subject.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Details of the operational costs of courts considered for closure can be found in the consultation document on the provision of the court and tribunal estate in England and Wales, which can be accessed via the following website:https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/proposal-on-the-provision-of-court-and-tribunal-es/consult_viewThe Department is committed to disposing of surplus property assets expeditiously and reducing holding costs. As of 10 December 2015 a total of 80 courts closed under the Court Estate Reform Programme have been sold attracting disposal receipts of £49.6m.The disposal of surplus property assets is dependent on a number of factors, such as the market, potential future use, location and the fact that some are occupied in part by the police and local authorities which also make disposal difficult. Nine of the closed court buildings which have not been disposed of are either under offer or on the market. Of those which have not yet been brought to the market, two court buildings have shared locations with the police, which means the future of the building is tied in with the Police Station, one has a site contamination issue and the other three were closed only within the last seven months. We are working on bringing all of them to the market as soon as possible.There are temporary costs associated with making sure unused buildings are kept secure, protecting the fabric of the building and property rates payable to local councils. In addition, decommissioning the buildings to make them ready for sale results in some costs which cannot be disaggregated from the overall running costs. However, these are significantly lower than the costs of running the courts when open, which will have included estates costs, staffing costs and the cost of the judiciary.Table: Monthly cost of each court building which has been closed but not disposed of since May 2010 as at 10 December 2015Court buildingAverage monthly cost1Abergavenny Magistrates’ Court4Not availableAlton Magistrates’ Court2£9,828Bracknell Magistrates’ Court£5,319Cirencester Magistrates’ Court£1,472Coleford Magistrates’ Court£1,561Keighley Magistrates’ Court (sitting at Bingley)£2,011Knutsford Crown Court2£9,274Liverpool Magistrates’ Court5Not availableLyndhurst Magistrates’ Court£1,783Oswestry Magistrates’ Court / County Court£2,269Pontefract Magistrates’ Court£1,957Stourbridge County Court6Not availableSpalding Magistrates’ Court2£3,909Totnes Magistrates’ Court3£790Towcester Magistrates’ Court3£445Footnotes:Monthly cost based on financial year data 2014/15 (unless otherwise stated). Holding costs include rates, fuel and utilities, facilities management, telephony and other property costs.These courts closed in financial year 2014/15 and the stated average monthly cost is therefore based on the last three months of 2014/15. The stated costs for these 3 courts are abnormally high because maintenance costs are likely to include decommissioning costs which are incurred shortly after closure. It is not possible to strip out any decommissioning costs from this answer without incurring disproportionate costs.Monthly cost based on financial year data 2013/14 and 2014/15 in order to address accounting adjustments made in 2014/15.Abergavenny Magistrates Court closure was announced on 9 July 2015 but has not yet been decommissioned.Liverpool (Dale Street) Magistrates' Court was integrated into the QEII Law Courts as of 30 June, creating a single centre for crime in the city of Liverpool. It is not possible to disaggregate the costs of the Dale Street premises from those of the operational court without incurring disproportionate costs.Stourbridge County Court was being used for the back office function for Dudley County and Family Court until 7 August 2015.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department last discussed votes for prisoners with the Council of Europe.

Dominic Raab: I visited the Council of Europe and discussed votes for prisoners on 7 December 2015. We have consistently made clear that prisoner voting is a matter for Parliament to determine. I explained at the September Committee of Ministers meeting that there was no realistic prospect of Parliament lifting the current ban for the foreseeable future.

Personal Injury: Compensation

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to announce changes to procedures to deal with motor accident claims for whiplash.

Dominic Raab: In his Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced further reforms to tackle the number and cost of whiplash claims. The Government will consult on the detail of these reforms in due course.

Personal Injury: Medical Treatments

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 on the level of costs and changes for treatment for personal injury resourced by the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government received and analysed data from numerous sources when formulating the announcement in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. We will continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders including other Government departments, solicitors and insurers in taking forward the new reform package. The Government will consult on the detail of these measures in due course. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will meet with representative bodies of people acting for personal injury complainants to discuss the outcome of his discussions with the insurance industry; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government continues to work with a wide range of stakeholders in taking forward the whiplash reform package announced by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement in November 2015. Officials met with representative bodies for claimant solicitors in December 2015 and a ministerial meeting is planned for the end of January 2016. They will have a further opportunity to comment when we consult on the detail of the reforms in due course.

Driving Offences

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to commence its review of driving offences; when he plans that the public consultation on that review will take place; and what timetable he has set for the completion of that review.

Andrew Selous: Driving offences can have devastating consequences for victims and their loved ones, which is why tough sentences are available to the courts. It is our intention to consult on sentencing proposals, including driving, before the end of this year.

Appeals

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to develop protocols with (a) the Department for Work and Pensions, (b) the Home Office and (c) other government departments and agencies to improve the quality of decision making to reduce the number of assessments overturned on appeal.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Following a successful pilot, the practice in the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal has been for judges to provide a brief summary of reasons for their decision. This is helping the Department for Work and Pensions with decision making. In the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, and in other tribunals, judges routinely give full written reasons for their decisions and Ministry of Justice officials regularly meet with colleagues from the Home Office and other government departments to discuss any underlying reasons that may be contributing to high overturn rates.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many recorded attacks there were against prison officers in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: We do not tolerate violence of any kind in prison and any assault is treated extremely seriously. Any prisoner who commits an act of violence can expect to have action taken against them.Statistics for assaults on staff are published in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin.The information requested may be found in the 'Summary tables June 2006 to June 2015' at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-bulletin-june-2015

Prisons: Suicide

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of attempted suicide there were in prisons in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: The national statistics on safety in custody use the category of self-harm incidents, defined as “any act where a prisoner deliberately harms themselves irrespective of the method, intent or severity of any injury”. They do not include a separate category of “attempted suicide”, because the intent of the prisoner is often unknown. Some incidents are more likely to result in a fatality than others, but the point at which a self-harm incident becomes an attempted suicide is unclear.Summary statistics on self-harm in prison custody are published quarterly, and the latest annual figures, for the ten years to June 2015, can be found in Table 3 of the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472712/Safety-in-custody-summary-q2-2015.xls

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many deaths in prisons were caused by attacks by other prisoners in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: Every death in custody is a tragedy and we are committed to reducing the number of deaths in prisons.Summary statistics on deaths in prison custody by apparent cause are published quarterly, and the latest annual figures, for the ten years to September 2015, can be found in Table 2 of the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472712/Safety-in-custody-summary-q2-2015.xlsThis includes the number of deaths in the category of homicide, defined as any death of a prisoner at the hands of another.

Ministry of Justice: UK Membership of EU

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contingency arrangements his Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

Dominic Raab: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of the UK’s EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain in order to get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. The Government is confident that the right agreement can be reached.

Prisons: Pest Control

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many complaints have been received from prisoners of pest infestation in prisons in the last 12 months.

Andrew Selous: The information requested is not held centrally.

G4S

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the status is of the Serious Fraud Office's investigation into G4S over fraud in the prisoner tagging contracts.

Andrew Selous: The Serious Fraud Office investigation relating to G4S prisoner tagging is ongoing.

Prime Minister

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Catherine West: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he plans that company ownership transparency in the UK's Overseas Territories with financial centres be on the agenda for the forthcoming Anti-Corruption Summit.

Mr David Cameron: Transparency will be a vital part of the Anti-Corruption Summit we will host in London in May. We continue to lead the way on company transparency, and we continue to push this agenda with the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, as well as our other international partners.

Ministry of Defence

Navy: Training

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether training in celestial navigation is provided for new recruits to the Royal Navy.

Penny Mordaunt: For new recruits, celestial navigational training is only undertaken by Royal Marine recruits in weeks eight and 10 of their training as part of the Royal School of Military Survey lessons. However, celestial navigational training (referred to as Astro(navigational) training within the Service) is taught to Naval Officers as part of targeted career training courses at the Maritime Warfare School at HMS Collingwood. These include: Initial Warfare Officers, the Fleet Navigation Officers Course and in a Specialist Navigation Course (for those officers undertaking specialist training in navigation at Lieutenant/Lieutenant Commander rank with a view to navigating larger vessels such as carriers and amphibious assault ships).

Royal Regiment of Scotland: Reserve Forces

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the total strength of (a) 6 SCOTS and (b) 7 SCOTS attended (i) more than 50 per cent and (ii) more than 75 per cent of regular duties in each year between 2012 and 2015.

Mr Julian Brazier: This information is not held in the format requested.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date the decision was made not to proceed with developing a future theatre nuclear weapon (FTNW); and how much had been spent on (a) the vehicle element and (b) the warhead element of the FTNW programme up to that point.

Mr Philip Dunne: On 18 October 1993, the then Secretary of State for Defence informed Parliament (Official Report, column 32): "we have concluded that our previous requirement for a new stand-off nuclear weapon capability is not a sufficiently high priority to justify the procurement of a new nuclear system in the current circumstances. Instead, we will plan, after the WE177 eventually leaves service in the long term, on exploiting the flexibility and capability of the Trident system to provide the vehicle for the delivery of our sub-strategic deterrent."Also on 19 July 1993 (HC Deb vol 229 cc83-4W), the then Minister for Defence Procurement provided the following information about expenditure to evaluate options for the Future Theatre Nuclear Weapon:Expenditure to the end of March 1993 on studies of possible vehicles:Year£1989-90928,5181990-911,372,3291991-921,870,2851992-932,658,471Information on costs incurred on the Future Theatre Nuclear Weapon warhead programme was withheld for reasons of national security. Those reasons no longer apply but this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.



Nuclear Weapons
(Word Document, 16.74 KB)

AWE: Regulation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) enforcement action was taken and (b) warning letters were issue against the Atomic Weapons Establishment by regulatory authorities in 2014 and 2015; and which of those enforcement actions are ongoing.

Michael Fallon: The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) received a single Improvement Notice from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) on 8 June 2015. This Improvement Notice remains open; the ONR and the AWE have agreed a set of actions that enable this to be closed by the due date of 30 September 2016.No regulatory authority has taken enforcement action against the AWE in 2014 and 2015, and no warning letters have been issued.

AWE Aldermaston: Repairs and Maintenance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the costs were of repairing structural defects to the A45 facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (Project Phoebe).

Michael Fallon: The cost of Project Phoebe was £20.1 million (excluding VAT).

AWE: Explosives

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions since 1 January 2014 explosives stored at the Atomic Weapons Establishment have been found to be wrongly labelled; on what date it was discovered that such explosives were wrongly labelled; and what (a) types and (b) quantities of explosives were involved in each such case.

Michael Fallon: Since 1 January 2014, there have been two occasions on which anomalies have been discovered in the labelling of explosives at the Atomic Weapons Establishment. In each case a small discrepancy was discovered through the checking and accounting process in place. In neither case were any explosive licence limits exceeded, and there was no requirement to notify the Authority or the Regulator.On 14 August 2015, it was identified that a container labelled as containing 0.054 Kg of explosives actually contained 0.063 Kg.On 6 January 2016, it was identified that a container labelled as containing 0.10716 Kg of explosives actually contained 0.0872 Kg.The explosives concerned were Hazard Type 1.

Nuclear Installations: Emergencies

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what actions have been undertaken in response to finding reference TRF0195 of the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator's assessment of the Astral Climb 12 nuclear emergency exercise; and on what dates each such action was closed out.

Mr Philip Dunne: Finding TRF 195 from the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator's assessment of Exercise Astral Climb 2012 called for documented arrangements to be reviewed and updated to reflect two changes in practice: the responsibility for the medical response and the monitoring instrumentation. This action was completed in August 2013. The finding also called for a review of Convoy and Station Nuclear Emergency Organisation Team response arrangements; this review was carried out in 2015.

Army

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the regular army's shortfall against (a) trained strength requirement and (b) its recruitment intake target has been in each of the last 10 years.

Penny Mordaunt: Defence Statistics publish information on a regular basis showing the Army’s Regular liability and trained strength.The most recent information is contained in ‘UK Armed Forces Monthly Service Personnel Statistics December 2015’ and associated tables which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-armed-forces-monthly-service-personnel-statistics-indexFigures for the last ten years for the Regular Army, may be found in Quarterly Performance Reports, including those at the following links:Quarterly Personnel Report – 1 April 2015 (for 2010/11 to 2014/15)https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-quarterly-personnel-report-2015#Quarterly Personnel Report – 1 April 2012 (for 2007/08 to 2009/10)http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140116142443/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/personnel/military/quarterly-personnel-report/2012-04-01Quarterly Personnel Report – 1 April 2009 (for 2005 to 2007)http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140116142443/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/personnel/military/quarterly-personnel-report/2009-04-01Official statistics for Regular recruitment targets are not produced.

Military Exercises

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) assets and (b) personnel of his Department took part in Exercise Platinum Lion in collaboration with the US, Romanian and Bulgarian armed forces.

Penny Mordaunt: 40 personnel from 40 Commando Royal Marines took part in Exercise PLATINUM LION during July 2015. This was primarily an infantry skills exercise with no major assets deployed.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will deploy the RAF to provide humanitarian support to the people of Syria through the use of air drops.

Penny Mordaunt: The UN, the Red Cross Movement and Non-Governmental Organisation partners have the mandate and expertise to deliver an appropriate response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Any UK response would work to the same principles by which the UN operates. We would not use air drops when there is ground access particularly in the circumstances of western Syria, where there are no assurances about the safety of delivering humanitarian assistance by air. Nor would the UK undermine humanitarian agencies by providing duplicate aid through air drops, in the absence of full coordination with all agencies on the ground.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Stoke on Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

Justin Tomlinson: (a i) The number of people employed in DWP offices in Stoke-on-Trent at June 2010, which is the earliest information available, was 744. The current number of people employed as at November 2015, latest information available, is 464.(b i) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has an office in Stoke-on-Trent. The number of people employed at 1 January 2010 was 52. Current number of people employed is 31.The North Staffs Remploy factory based at Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent closed on 4 December 2012 and 110 people left the factory.(a ii) Detailed workforce planning up to 2020 is not yet available. Although reducing and rationalising the estate could result in relocations, there is no centrally driven relocation target to this effect. Any relocation is done based on the operational needs of the department.(b ii) The HSE office in Stoke-on-Trent will relocate on 25 January 2016 and 31 people will move to Crewe from that date.

Supported Housing: Housing Benefit

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment of the Government's plans to cap housing benefit for tenants in supported housing at the local rate of Local Housing Allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to the Honourable Member for Liverpool Wavertree on 11 January 2016 to question UIN 21145 .

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Rural Areas

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2015 to Question 19214 and with reference to Chapter 3 of the National Audit Office Report, entitled The Superfast (Rural) Broadband Programme: update, published in January 2015, for what reason the amount spent per cabinet is approximately double the amount estimated by the National Audit Office.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The costs reported in the January 2015 National Audit Office Report were based on average direct cabinet costs in September 2014, which were lower than envisaged at the time of the contract. Underspends at the end of the projects will be available for further investment in superfast broadband roll-out.

Mobile Phones

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's policy is on capping exceed costs on mobile phone contracts for consumers.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The UK mobile network operators (Vodafone, Three, O2 and EE, together with Virgin Mobile) have signed a Code of Practice on Consumer Billing, which sets out a number of ways help customers to avoid excess charges when exceeding their monthly allowance. The code outlines the need for regular updates on usage, so customers can manage spend. For example, operators committed to sending alerts to customers - usually SMS messages - when they are nearing their bundle limits.In addition, for contracts entered into after 23 January 2014, consumers can exit contracts without penalty, and hence can switch to another provider or tariff, when the agreed core price (usually the monthly subscription) increases. All communications providers have to comply with these rules when increasing prices.

Broadband

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to bring forward proposals to ensure service level agreement requirements incorporated into broadband supplier contracts with their customers ensure a reasonable minimum speed of download is maintained and commensurate with the advertised product.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Ofcom Code of Pratice on Broadband Speeds, effective from October 2015, requires internet service providers (ISPs) to give customers clear and accurate information on home broadband speeds, including the maximum speeds they can achieve, the estimated speed on the customer’s line, and factors that may slow down the speed, such as any fair use or traffic management policies.ISPs must have systems in place to find the cause of speed problems, take steps to fix any issue they are responsible for, and explain to customers if they can do anything to improve the situation. As a result of the October 2015 revised code, customers can terminate contracts at any time without penalty if they receive speeds significantly below the ‘minimum guaranteed access line speed'; previously customers could only terminate within the first three months.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Stoke on Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department has had no offices in the area in the timeframe.

Mass Media: Finance

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 53 of the Statement of Funding Policy 2015, who the recipients of expenditure on broadcasting and media bodies were in 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The recipients of expenditure on broadcasting and media bodies in 2015 were: Ofcom; BFI; S4C; and the National Film and Television School.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: UK Membership of EU

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what contingency arrangements his Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 21952 by my Rt. Hon Friend the Prime Minister on the 14thJanuary.

Television: Licensing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what change there has been in the number of black and white television licences held in Northern Ireland between 1 January 2012 and 1 January 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: According to TV Licensing, between 1 January 2012 and 1 January 2015, the number of black and white licences in Northern Ireland decreased by 404 licences, from 1,140 to 736.

Television: Licensing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what was the number of households with black and white television licences per thousand households in (a) the UK as a whole and (b) in Northern Ireland in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: According to TV Licensing, the number of households with black and white television licences per thousand households in the UK was 0.64 in 2012 and 0.38 in 2015; and in Northern Ireland was 1.57 in 2012, and 0.98 in 2015.

Department for Communities and Local Government

New Towns: Northstowe

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the new town of Northstowe will be developed to schedule.

Brandon Lewis: We are committed to the first housing starts on the land owned by the Homes and Communities Agency at Northstowe by the end of 2018, following the necessary infrastructure and other preparatory works. We envisage around 400 homes being started by March 2020 and the cumulative total rising to around 3,000 by March 2025. The detail of the tenure mix will be confirmed following the conclusion of negotiations with the local authority but there will be a very strong focus on the delivery of starter homes.

Vulnerable Adults: Transport

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding his Department provides for local authorities to discharge their responsibilities for vulnerable adult transport.

Mr Marcus Jones: It is for local authorities to allocate funding to individual services from their overall budget.

HM Treasury

Taxation: Crime

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted for (i) off-shore tax evasion, (ii) in-shore tax evasion, (iii) tax credit fraud, (iv) VAT fraud, (v) smuggling and (vi) other tax-related offences in each financial year since 2010-11.

Mr David Gauke: The information is not held in the format requested. HM Revenue and Customs’ centrally held data records the primary reason for the court case. The central data does not separately identify smuggling cases or use the term ‘in-shore evasion’ when recording the number of prosecutions or convictions.

Revenue and Customs: ICT

Sir David Amess: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HM Revenue and Customs spent on IT contractors in 2015.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs’ financial management systems do not hold the information requested because all costs relating to IT Contractors are classed within the generic value for IT Services and Project Development, so individual contractor costs are not identified separately.

Small Businesses: Finance

Alison Thewliss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will prepare contingency plans for flexible funding for small and medium-sized enterprises to replace JEREMIE funding in the event of UK withdrawal from the EU.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the United Kingdom - so we can get a better deal for our country and secure our future. We are confident that the right agreement can be reached.

Debts

Holly Lynch: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support the Financial Conduct Authority has offered to people affected by the recent administration of Brightsource Debt Management; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that debt consolidation companies make timely payments to creditors so that their customers' loans are paid down as quickly as possible.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government has fundamentally reformed the regulation of the debt management market, transferring regulatory responsibility from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) a more robust and better resourced regulator.The FCA is directing the clients of Brightsource Debt Management towards free debt advice and is engaging with the administrator to ensure the interests of clients are protected.The FCA require debt management firms which receive client money for the purposes of paying off client debts to pay that money to creditors as soon as is reasonably practical, normally within 5 business days, unless the firm has disclosed to the client that it will hold the money for a longer period in its terms and conditions.The FCA supervises the market; it has a broad enforcement toolkit to punish breaches of its rules and there is no limit on the fines it can levy.

Environment Protection: Taxation

David T. C. Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the previously published Carbon Price Support rates of £30t/CO2 in 2020 and £70t/CO2 in 2030, at 2009 prices, remain in place.

David T. C. Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects the freeze on carbon price floor rates to end.

David T. C. Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the rates for carbon price support in (a) 2020 and (b) 2030.

Damian Hinds: CPS rates have been capped at £18/tCO2 until 2019/20. An announcement on the rates beyond 2019/20 will be made in due course.

Environment Protection: Taxation

David T. C. Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how much will accrue to the Exchequer as a result of the Carbon Price Support legislation in each year until 2020.

Damian Hinds: The most recent forecast of receipts from the Carbon Price Floor was published by the OBR in their ‘Economic and fiscal outlook supplementary fiscal tables – November 2015’, available at http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook-november-2015/.

Church Commissioners

Church Commissioners: UK Membership of EU

Tim Loughton: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what contingency arrangements the Church Commissioners have made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

Mrs Caroline Spelman: The Church Commissioners and the Church of England Pensions Board manage their investment portfolios using high quality well diversified and long term strategies. The Church Commissioners and Pensions Board believe that they are well positioned for any market re-pricing or uncertainty that may prevail prior to or after the referendum.

Churches: South West

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what grants the Church Commissioners have given to churches in (a) Devon and (b) Cornwall from the Roof Repair Fund in each of the last five years.

Mrs Caroline Spelman: The Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund grants are distributed by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, on behalf of the Government. There has been one round of grants to date, announced in March 2015,(a) 22 churches in Devon were offered grants totalling £1,199,700(b) 7 churches in Cornwall were offered grants totalling £492,700. A second round to distribute a further £25 million allocated by the Treasury is currently open, with applications closing on Friday, 26 February.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Stoke on Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

Matthew Hancock: No jobs in my Department or in each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 or plan to be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

Government: Debt Collection

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, paragraph 3.54, whether the Debt Market Integrator will take over the services currently contracted out to Concentrix; whether Concentrix is permitted to bid for the new contract; and what the timetable is for tendering.

Matthew Hancock: The Debt Market Integrator (DMI)will not be taking over the tax credit related services currently contracted out to Concentrix.Concentrix currently provides services through the "Error & Fraud Adding Capacity" (EFAC) contract, which does not include debt collection services. There are no current plans to re-procure these services. Tax credit debt collection services will be provided through the DMI contract from July 2016. The DMI contract was awarded to TDX / Equifax in March 2015.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Smuggling

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the findings of the report by the Dogs Trust entitled, Puppy Smuggling, the Scandal Continues, published in July 2015, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the reasons for the illegal landing of puppies for commercial sale identified in that report.

George Eustice: The Dogs Trust’s report highlights that responsibility for stopping the illegal movement of puppies begins in the country where they are born. The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has written to the authorities in the countries highlighted in the report to remind them of their duty to ensure that the requirements of the EU pet travel scheme must be fully complied with. This approach has previously resulted in investigations in EU Member States and appropriate action being taken, including the suspension of veterinarian licenses. We will continue to alert the authorities in any Member State where we become aware of issues in relation to the operation of the pet travel scheme.The UK carries out more checks on pets at the border than most other EU Member States and stringent penalties are in place where people are found to be breaking the rules. Defra actively shares intelligence it gathers relating to abuse of the pet travel scheme with Local Authorities (who are enforcement bodies) and other EU countries for them to further investigate and take any necessary action.The illegal trade is ultimately driven by demand for cheap, pedigree puppies and so we have published guidance on the steps pet owners can take to avoid buying an illegally imported pet. See: https://www.gov.uk/buying-a-cat-or-dog. Defra has also worked closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to drive up standards for online advertisements.

Hill Farming

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing the Natural England report, Vital Uplands, published in 2009, in respect of restoration of deep upland vegetation to control hillside water run-off and valley flooding.

Rory Stewart: The Vital Uplands report of 2009 was withdrawn by the previous Natural England Board and Management Team. Natural England, the Environment Agency, Defra and by academic institutions continue to closely monitor the complex science and evidence around upstream mitigation, through peatland, forestry and other natural measures. Some such measures have now been funded by the Government and piloted in schemes such as that in Pickering in Yorkshire. Natural upstream mitigation will be a key element of our planning at a catchment level, currently being taken forward through the Cumbrian Floods Partnership and our 25-year Environment Plan.

Department of Health

Alzheimer's Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has assessed or commissioned on potential links between prevention of Alzheimer's disease and maintaining positive thinking into later life.

Jane Ellison: Reducing the incidence of dementia, improving dementia research, raising awareness and improving the treatment and care of people with dementia is a key priority for the Government. That is why in February 2015, the Prime Minister launched his Challenge on Dementia 2020 as a successor to the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2012-15. Under the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020, we set an ambition for:- improved public awareness and understanding of the factors, which increase the risk of developing dementia and how people can reduce their risk by living more healthily. This should include a new healthy ageing campaign and access to tools such as a personalised risk assessment calculator as part of the NHS Health Check;- increased identification of effective ways in which people can reduce their personal risk of developing dementia, including cardio-vascular and cognitive strategies, and ways of encouraging these approaches to improve public health and wellbeing; and- overall spending for dementia research from all sectors to double by 2025.Research funding for dementia research doubled under the last Government and will be maintained to total over £300 million over the period of the current government.

Diabetes: Health Education

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding was allocated to raising awareness of diabetes by Public Health England in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: There is no specific budget for diabetes awareness marketing within Public Health England.However, Change4Life is Public Health England’s (PHE) social marketing programme which aims to inspire families with children aged five to 11 to eat well and move more in order to lower the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers and heart disease. More than 2.7 million people have engaged with the campaign.Table: Costs for the delivery of the Change4Life campaignYearCost2012/13£8,933,000 2013/14£12,582,000 2014/15£10,041,000Note: These costs are total campaign costs and only exclude staffing costs.PHE is also developing an integrated social marketing campaign to engage adults in making changes to improve their own health. The programme will encourage people to make a number of lifestyle changes including taking up more exercise, improving diet, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether full funding for the implementation of the new access target for early intervention in psychosis is included in the Government's commitment to an additional £600 million of funding for mental health in 2016-17.

Alistair Burt: No decision has yet been reached on how the additional £600 million of funding for mental health in 2016-17 will be allocated.A key element of achieving parity across mental and physical health care is in people having timely access to evidence-based and effective treatment.One focus of the first set of mental health standards for 2015/16 is that from 1 April 2016, 50% of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis are treated with a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved package of care within two weeks of referral. This is being supported by £40 million recurrent funding from NHS England to support delivery of the early intervention in psychosis (EIP) standard. Health Education England are focusing £5 million for workforce development towards meeting the EIP standard.

Prescription Drugs

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the processes undertaken by the NICE for approving and commissioning new medicines for cancers and ultra rare diseases; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: No such assessment has been made.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that makes recommendations to the National Health Service on the use of selected drugs and treatments through its technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies programmes. NICE does not commission new medicines and treatments.NICE is responsible for its own processes and methodology, which it periodically reviews in consultation with stakeholders. Further information on NICE’s processes is available at:www.nice.org.uk.The Accelerated Access Review, chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor, is looking at speeding up access to innovative medicines and technologies for patients. NICE has been working closely with the review as it develops its recommendations which are due to be published in Spring 2016.

Doctors

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS doctors were employed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2005.

Ben Gummer: The number of hospital and community health services doctors employed in the National Health Service for South Tyneside and the North East region since 2005 is in the attached table. The figures are taken from the NHS annual workforce statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.Figures are only available for recognised NHS geography and therefore no information has been provided for Jarrow constituency.The provision of health services in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter so total figures are for England only.



Doctors in the NHS in England and NE Region
(Excel SpreadSheet, 21.81 KB)

Nurses

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS nurses were employed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2005.

Ben Gummer: The number of hospital and community health services nurses employed in the National Health Service for South Tyneside and the North East region in each year since 2005 is in the attached table. The figures are taken from the NHS annual workforce statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.Figures are only available for recognised NHS geography and therefore no information has been provided for Jarrow constituency.The provision of health services in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter so total figures are for England only.



Nurses employed in NHS for South Tyneside and NE
(Excel SpreadSheet, 22.4 KB)

Care Homes

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency plans his Department has for the event of a major care home provider ceasing operations.

Alistair Burt: Local authorities retain responsibility for managing provider failure in the social care market. The Government has worked with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and partners to publish guidance to support local authorities to develop contingency plans for managing the failure of a social care provider in their local area. The guidance can be found at:http://www.lgiu.org.uk/report/care-and-continuity-guide/Research by the Local Government Association (LGA) suggests that as of September 2015, at least 95% of councils have contingency plans in place should a major local provider go out of business. This research is available at:http://www.local.gov.uk/documents/10180/6869714/2015-08-11+Stocktake+4+Full+Tables+%28Final%29.pdf/f9826461-aaf1-4c86-b5aa-994d2046e80cThe Government will continue to work with local authorities to ensure they have effective and up to date plans in place.The Care Act also gave the Care Quality Commission (CQC) a new function to oversee the finances of care providers which are either large or whose provision is geographically concentrated as their financial failure would make it difficult for local authorities to discharge their statutory responsibilities.The oversight function will provide early warning to relevant local authorities in the event that one of these providers is likely to fail and their services cease. This will allow local authorities time to implement contingency plans.The Government is working with the CQC and the sector to monitor risks to the system and will develop bespoke contingency plans to support local government to manage provider failure, where appropriate.

Organs: Donors

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to encourage the take up of organ donor cards among South Asian and other minority ethnic communities.

Jane Ellison: UK Government provides NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) with around £60 million a year to support organ donation. In 2013, NHSBT launched a UK – wide organ donation and transplantation strategy Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020, setting the agenda for increasing organ donation and transplantation rates. The Department has also established the National Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Transplant Alliance with the aim of raising awareness about the need for stem cell and organ donation, and increasing the number of people from BAME communities who can benefit from either a stem cell or organ transplant.South Asian people are more likely to need a kidney transplant than a Caucasian person but families are less likely to consent to organ donation. The result is that patients from South Asian background wait much longer for organ transplants, particularly for a kidney transplant. Therefore, to support the wider 2020 strategy, the Department funded Kidney Research UK to undertake a Peer Educator Programme within the Pakistani Muslim community in Birmingham with the aim of raising awareness of the lack of donors and increasing the numbers on the bone marrow and organ donation registers. Lessons learnt will support the roll-out of the programme in other similar areas of work.NHSBT also has a wide range of leaflets promoting organ donation that are translated into a number of different South Asian languages including Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.

Nurses: Training

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nursing training places were provided in each region in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many such places he expects to be provided in the current year.

Ben Gummer: The following table details the number of nurse training places available in each of the Health Education England local team areas in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years.Available nurse training placesLocal Team2014-152015-16East of England1,7832,015East Midlands1,6511,661Kent, Surrey and Sussex1,1261,209North, Central and Eastern London1,1911,280North East1,1051,089North West3,2563,322North West London820917South London1,1381,171South West1,4411,432Thames Valley768795West Midlands2,1572,342Wessex9411,011Yorkshire and Humber2,0102,059Sum of local teams19,38720,303Source: Multi-professional education and training budget monitoring returns

Hospital Beds

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS beds there were in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2005.

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what change there was in the number of NHS beds in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2005.

Ben Gummer: The average daily number of available open overnight and open day only beds under the care of a consultant in each year since 2005-06 and in each quarter since 2010-11 in (a) South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, (b) the North East and (c) England is in the attached table. Health is a devolved matter in the rest of the United Kingdom.



Average available open beds under a consultant
(Excel SpreadSheet, 48.3 KB)

General Practitioners

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS GPs were working in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2005.

Ben Gummer: The number of general practitioners employed in the National Health Service for South Tyneside and the North East region since 2005 is in the attached table. The figures are taken from the NHS annual workforce statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.Figures are only available for recognised NHS geography and therefore no information has been provided for Jarrow constituency.The provision of health services in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter so total figures are for England only. 



General practitioners for South Tyneside/NE region
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.09 KB)

Death: Weather

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in excess winter mortality rates in North East England in the winter of 2014-15.

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessments he has made of the reasons for the increase in excess winter mortality rates in England in the winter of 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: The increased excess deaths in 2014-15 coincided with the circulation of a strain of flu, A(H3N2), that particularly affects older people. Cold snaps and other respiratory infections may also have contributed to an increase in excess mortality. There was evidence also that the flu vaccine provided reduced protection due to some drift of the circulating A(H3N2) virus.These observations were not unique to the United Kingdom, with 14 other European countries also reporting an increase in excess mortality. Throughout the last decade, there has generally been a good match between the strains of flu in the vaccine and those that subsequently circulate, highlighting the importance of flu vaccination for at risk groups, including older people and also the childhood flu vaccine programme, which when rolled out, aims to provide protection for both children, but also the general population.Public Health England has no such data available for North East England.

Department of Health: Stoke on Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

Jane Ellison: Information about the number of jobs that (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020 is set out in the attached tables. The information about non-Departmental public bodies, executive agencies, and other accountable statutory bodies is not held centrally by the Department and their information, as indicated below, has been provided by those bodies.



Abolished or relocated jobs from Stoke-on-Trent
(Word Document, 16.27 KB)

Preventive Medicine

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average time taken by NHS England is to process (a) individual funding requests and (b) clinically critically urgent funding applications; and whether there is a mechanism to expedite this process for time-sensitive preventative treatments.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that from 1 December 2014 to 30 November 2015 (latest figures available), it has taken an average of 17 days to process and respond to individual funding requests (IFRs) and 11 days to process and respond to funding requests for clinically critically urgent cases.NHS England has standard operating frameworks for the management of IFRs and also for funding requests for clinically critically urgent treatment outside established policy which both outline the process and timelines for dealing with such requests. Both documents are available at:www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/policies/gp/The standing operating framework for IFRs is currently being updated. As part of the changes, the average target timeframe for responding to such requestswill be amended to 30 days from the current 40 days. The system for processing and decision making is also being altered to improve responsiveness as a whole.

Medicine: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will take steps to expand the number of places in medicine courses in universities.

Ben Gummer: The Department of Health and Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) have periodically reviewed the total number and distribution of undergraduate medical students, basing targets for these students on information provided by the Centre for Workforce Intelligence and local workforce plans that estimate how many doctors we need to work in the National Health Service.Since the establishment of Health Education England (HEE) in April 2013, responsibility for reviewing the target intake for medical students has sat with them.HEE is currently reviewing the target intake for medical students and will submit recommendations to the Department in the spring. Any changes to medical student numbers will need to be agreed with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and HEFCE who also contribute to the funding of undergraduate medical education.

Pain: Research

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage research into a cure for complex regional pain syndrome.

George Freeman: The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.The researcher-led workstream of the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme (funded by the Medical Research Council and managed by the NIHR) is currently funding a £0.7 million trial of low-dose intravenous immunoglobulin treatment for CRPS.The NIHR Clinical Research Network is recruiting patients to studies of mycophenolate treatment for longstanding CRPS and electrical sensory discrimination therapy for relief of chronic pain in CRPS.

Diabetes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to make the Attiva device for the treatment of people with diabetes available on the NHS.

George Freeman: Medical devices are required to be CE marked under the European Union medical devices Directives and may not be placed on the market until this process is complete.